Bucs to play FBS foes Appalachian State and Vanderbilt; Six home games in 2019

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 21, 2019) -- The ETSU football team will play FBS foes Appalachian State and Vanderbilt, along with six games at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium, as head coach Randy Sanders announced the Buccaneers’ 2019 schedule on Monday.

“We will face another challenging schedule this season,” said Sanders, whose Bucs posted eight wins, a share of the Southern Conference title and trip to the FCS Playoffs in 2018. “We are excited to be playing six home games, while we will face tests against Appalachian State and Vanderbilt. After the success we had last season, we won’t be sneaking up on anyone, so we have to come ready to play each week.”

BUCS TO OPEN SEASON IN BOONE

ETSU will open the season by rekindling an old SoCon rivalry when the Bucs head over the mountain to take on reigning Sun Belt champion Appalachian State on Saturday, Aug. 31 inside Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Bucs and Mountaineers have met 46 times since 1928, while it will be the first meeting since Oct. 4, 2003.

THREE STRAIGHT HOME GAMES FOLLOW FOR THE BLUE AND GOLD

After opening the season in Boone, N.C., the Blue and Gold will head home for three straight games at Greene Stadium, beginning on Saturday, Sept. 7 against Shorter. The home opener will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bucs and Hawks.

Following the home opener, ETSU will begin its SoCon title defense when the Bucs host VMI on Sept. 14. ETSU defeated the Keydets 27-24 last season in Lexington, Va., which marked the Bucs’ first SoCon road win since rejoining the league in 2016. The Bucs have won two of the three meetings against VMI since its return and lead the all-time series, 15-9. ETSU’s 1969 team will be honored that weekend for their historic season, which featured a 10-0-1 record, a win over the Terry Bradshaw-led Louisiana Tech team in the Grantland Rice Bowl and capturing the Ohio Valley Conference championship.

The Bucs will again step out of conference play to end the three-game home stand when ETSU faces in-state foe Austin Peay on Sept. 21. This will mark the 29th meeting against the Governors and first since Nov. 18, 1978. This will also be ETSU’s Hall of Fame weekend, as a select group of Buccaneers will represent the Class of 2019.

Please note: More details regarding the 1969 recognition and the Hall of Fame weekend will be released at a later date.

SOCON ROAD TRIPS

The Blue and Gold will make their first SoCon road trip on Sept. 28, when ETSU heads to Greenville, S.C. to take on Furman. The Bucs then play back-to-back conference road games against Chattanooga in “The Rail Rivalry” on Thursday, Oct. 17 and at Samford on Saturday, Oct. 26. ETSU’s final SoCon road trip takes them to Cullowhee, N.C., to defend “The Blue Ridge Border Battle” trophy on Nov. 9.

HOMECOMING SATURDAY

Homecoming will be held at Greene Stadium the first Saturday in November (Nov. 2) when ETSU hosts The Citadel. The Bucs have won their last three Homecoming games, including a 45-0 victory over Gardner-Webb last year, while defensive back Tyree Robinson’s (Gainesville, Ga.) pick-six late in the fourth quarter helped secure a 26-23 win over The Citadel last October in Charleston.

SOCON HOME GAMES

In addition to taking on VMI and The Citadel at home, ETSU will also host Wofford (Oct. 5) and Mercer (Nov. 16) in SoCon play. Wofford earned a share of last year’s SoCon title, while the Bucs have won the last two meetings against the Bears.

REGULAR SEASON FINALE IN NASHVILLE

For the second straight year, ETSU will play an SEC opponent as the Bucs head to Nashville for their first-ever meeting with Vanderbilt on Nov. 23 in Memorial Stadium. The Commodores went 5-2 at home last season and played Baylor in the Texas Bowl.

OPEN WEEK

The Bucs open week will be Oct. 12, which follows their home game against Wofford and leads up to the Thursday night game at Chattanooga.

TICKET INFORMATION

Fans wanting to learn more about season ticket information can do so by calling the Buccaneer ticket office at 423-439-3878 or by visiting ETSUBucs.com.